37: Are you willing to walk this path?
**Tristan**
“This isn't just about Jasmine, is it. No... you've developed feelings for Lucien, haven't you? You thought you were playing him this whole time… but the truth is, dear daughter, that he’s been playing you.” It rang over and over in my head, drowning out the deafening silence within the room. A week or so ago I would have been able to deny what my father had just said. I'd be able to confidently tell him that this was all about Jasmine and that no part of me had feelings for Lucien. But the truth of the matter was that now, I wasn't sure that I'd be telling him the truth. And so, I remained silent. It seemed, however that my silence was the only answer he needed, because he let out a wicked scoff and tilted his head to the side before coming even closer towards me and saying, "Oh my. He really has fucked with your mind in such a small amount of time."
And that was when he said something he knew would full well get under my skin. "You, Tristan *Michaels* are pathetic."
The word "pathetic" began repeating itself over and over in my head, replacing what he'd said before. It was a brutal, cruel word, and he knew it. I hated, no, loathed the idea of being pathetic, of being weak and helpless, and so when he said that I couldn't help but shake my head and stutter out, "N-no... I... I am not pathetic!"
Ambrose raised a brow and gave another scoff. "Really? Look at yourself. You've let someone as cunning and seductive as Lucien Michaels bring you to your knees. Can't you see that? The Tristan Michaels I know would never have let something as trivial as "biological family" stop her from what she needed to do in order to become the most powerful rogue Alpha. Or have you forgotten your purpose? Should I perhaps remind you?" He then grabbed my hand harshly and then dragged me towards the windows of the dining room. With his free hand he yanked at the curtains, and they fell to the ground, flooding the previously dimly lit room with intense, almost painful light, and revealing the seemingly endless pack grounds outside. The houses were quaint, neat and although we had nothing as extravagant as the Blood Moon pack, there was order, discipline, tradition and a common ruthless manner about this place and these people. But it wasn't until he spoke, that I became engrossed in his old promises again.
"Can't you see it now? Blood, death, destruction. Do you not remember who you are? Don't you recall the liberating feeling of battle, of combat of capture? Can't you still smell that pungent, pleasurable reek of death, the sound of agony of pain and the cries for mercy. It will all be yours to claim for yourself once you're the Alpha, no, the Queen of the rogues. You will have every single werewolf pack down on their knees, frightened and paranoid of your ruthlessness, your *power*. And I won't stop you, daughter. You can finally be the most ruthless Alpha that ever existed, and I can finally have my revenge. Love... family? They hold you back Tristan and give you a false idea of morality, of what should be good and what should be bad. They steal more than they give and eventually, you'll realise that the people you loved and the family you had were nothing but leeches, slowly sucking you dry. They make you weak, vulnerable and *pathetic*. And as for Lucien, falling in love with him is perhaps the most pathetic thing you could *ever* do. Can't you see how in love he still is with your sister, the very woman you're now trying to protect. As long as you're pining after him like a lost little puppy, you'll never be anything more than the unfortunate mate he got stuck with while Jasmine remains the woman he so desperately craves. You are nothing to him, a distraction at best, and if you're not too careful, he'll break your heart and leave you alone, as you were before. Don't you understand? The only person who knows you, the only person who's ever had your best interest at heart is me. Damon, Jasmine... Lucien, they can't be trusted. They will hurt you-"
But this was where his entire speech fell apart, and I couldn't bear listening to him any longer. I couldn't stand the thought of what he'd said being true after I'd received nothing but kindness and warmth not only from Lucien and Jasmine, but Damon too. Excluding Oliver, no one had ever tried to make me feel as though I belonged, and as though I deserved to belong. There was something so pure and good and golden regarding the entire dynamic of the two of them, and even that small encounter I had had with my sister, and all the time I'd spent with Lucien was enough to have me believing that maybe someday I'd be able to *feel* again. And so, I cut him off saying, "How do you know this? You don't know my sister... and you don't know Lucien."
Immediately he dropped my hand and turned towards me with a face glossed over in nothing but astonishment. Once he'd recovered, he folded his arms over his chest and tsked. "And you do? Tell me, do you truly know your sister? After all these years, can you really say that you believe she has your best interests at heart? And Lucien... I know that boy like the back of my hand. Trust me when I tell you he's nothing but trouble. Are you sure you are willing to walk this path Tristan? Because if you side with them now, I'll have no choice but to treat you as one of them, and all of your hopes and dreams of becoming the Alpha of this grand pack, and of turning it into something great, will fall away. Are you willing to sacrifice power for a man in love with your sister, and for your sister whom you've known now only for a day?"
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